If change is to come to India, it’ll be at the hands of our Youth. Therefore, the time is ripe to invest in them, especially now that there is enough proof to suggest a considerable surge in India’s youth population in the decade to come. If figures are anything to go by, India is tipped to add nearly 241 million in the working-age population (the figure is inclusive). This figure speaks for itself when compared with China, which will add a meager 10 million during the course of this decade. But unfortunately even after all these predictions, our Youth have not yet managed a top place in the list of our politicians’ priorities. Unbridled reserves of energy that they are; it would be anything but wise to overlook them.
Anyway, a nation is propelled by its Youth. Filled with raw passion and steely resolve, they are the only ones blessed with power that can pull a nation out of darkness and place it on the path of prosperity. India, for one, couldn’t have come this far in terms of socio-economic progress without her Youth championing her cause. Who can overlook the contribution of our Youth in revolutionizing Information Technology in India and abroad?
We, therefore, as a nation need to formulate long-term plans to empower our youth and come up with strategies to create an environment where a young mind is given the freedom to think. Not that the freedom isn’t there, but an average 22-year old Indian is so engrossed in digging up ways to ensure a safe future for himself that somewhere down the road his uniqueness is misspent. Somewhere he simply overlooks his ingenuity and joins a popular bandwagon. And that is how a nation misses out on an opportunity to gain an edge over others in the fray. It’s a simple equation if you come to think of it; you fall behind in innovation and creativity, you will have to extend your arms and follow the pack. But on the other hand, if you encourage innovation and creativity, you will place yourself well ahead of the pack and force others to follow you.
Because innovation is the product of thought, and thought is the product of a free mind, it is imperative to exempt our young minds from unnecessary burdens.
Let me put forth an example to highlight the power of innovation. There is this case of Abhishek Sinha and his brother Abhinav, both software engineers, who founded EKO financial services with an aim to extend banking services to low-wage migrant workers from poor states like Bihar working in places like Delhi. These workers, as a rule here in India, are bereft of services that would help them save their earnings or send whatever little they can back home. The working of their model may be sound simple but could be a tough act to play out. Read on…
The brothers created virtual banks out of everyday retail stores that sell groceries and other such household items! The worker, using his mobile phone, and an identity proof, can open a bank account registered on his mobile phone. He would provide the amount which he wants deposited to the shopkeeper, who at his end would record it on his phone and text a receipt of the deposit to the system’s mother bank. That’s it. The worker’s family member can do a withdrawal by following a similar process back in Bihar. Impressed, eh?
This is what innovation can do; transform the lives of millions without much fuss. Believe me, there are hundreds of Abhishek Sinhas and Abhinavs out there. You won’t even have to find them if they are provided with an environment that encourages them to think.
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